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Texas Motorsports
Texas Motorsports is a team currently operating in the ISCRA Can-Am Cup Series and the ISCRA Sparco Pro Series. Opened in 1996 by Ken Holmes, a car dealership magnate from Arlington, Texas, the team has amassed significant success, earning four driver's championships and 117 Cup wins in their 23 years of existence. The team began its history as a Pontiac-backed team from 1996 to 2006, winning the 2003 Cup championship with Elliott Darnell behind the wheel. In July 2006, it was announced that the team would switch to Toyota as the Japanese manufacturer's factory team beginning in 2007. The team has acquired 66 wins with Toyota, as well as the 2007 Cup championship with Elliott Darnell and the 2011 and 2017 Cup championships with Wayne Clark. As of the 2019 season, Texas Motorsports fields four full-time cars in the ISCRA Can-Am Cup Series: the No. 11 Toyota Camry driven by Wayne Clark, the No. 21 Toyota driven by Devin Sawyer, the No. 70 Toyota driven by Craig Thornton, and the No. 87 Toyota driven by Bryce Lancaster. In addition, the team fields two full-time cars in the ISCRA Sparco Pro Series: the No. 14 Toyota Camry driven by Cameron Warren and the No. 20 Toyota Camry driven by Adrian Mendoza. The team has proven itself to be the start of many great drivers' careers, due to their deep developmental system that reaches all the way down to Legend cars. Several Cup drivers have gotten their start in racing due to Texas Motorsports' involvement in the smaller series, including Bryce Lancaster, Jason Williams, and Craig Thornton. ISCRA Can-Am Cup Series Texas Motorsports was founded by Ken Holmes in 1996 after years of sponsorship of cars in the ISCRA. The team began operation in a converted dealership owned by Ken that had sat unused for years in Mansfield, TX; in 2002, the team built a new facility capable of supporting a multi-car team on the outskirts of Arlington. The team expanded from a single car operation to a two-car team in 2001, adding the #11 of Wayne Clark to the stable. Due to the small dealership being used at the time, the team had to store their spare cars and parts in other dealerships in the area, often disguising them as show cars when they weren't needed at the track. The team then expanded to three cars in 2007 with the switch to Toyota, then four cars in 2013. Car No. 11 History The No. 11 car began as a part-time effort in late 2000. Pro Series driver Wayne Clark had impressed team owner Holmes in the races where the two series were at the same track. Clark frequently outdrove his home-built equipment, and in a five-race trial with the team he scored two top-10s at Michigan and Talladega. The Talladega race in particular was a surprise to the team; Clark led 23 laps and was in position to win until he was hung out to dry with four laps to go. When the season ended, Holmes felt that the team was ready to expand to two cars, and began preparing his shop for the clutter that would soon follow. The No. 11 became a full-time entry in 2001, with full-season sponsorship from Home Depot. Clark's first Speedweeks was a tough one; after qualifying 25th, he wrecked out of his duel in a last-lap incident with Kurt Sullivan. The wreck forced the team to go to a backup car in order to make the race. In the Daytona 500, Clark made quick work of the pack and found himself up front early, but on lap 97 he was spun from sixth place and crashed hard into the inside wall. Nonetheless, Clark found his groove as the season went on, earning his first Cup win at Dover en route to finishing 5th in the final standings of 2001 with three wins and fifteen top tens. Clark's sophomore season was a rollercoaster of success and controversy; several on-track incidents seemed to damper the five wins he earned over the course of the season. Finishing 2nd in points showed that his rookie season was no fluke, but to be a success he would have to rein himself in a bit. The team stumbled in 2003, only winning once at Talladega in contrast to teammate Elliott Darnell's six wins en route to the team's first championship. From 2004 to 2007, Clark won a total of 18 races while not finishing below fourth in points during this time frame. In October 2007, Clark signed a "lifetime" deal with Texas Motorsports, guaranteeing that he will stay in the No. 11 until he decides to retire. However, the start of this contract was anything but successful. From 2008 to 2010, Clark never finished above 12th in points. 2009 in particular was a miserable season for Clark, as he failed to win a single race and finished 24th in points. By 2010, things were looking bleak for the 11 team, but he went on a tear in the summer, winning two races and scoring six straight top fives as he secured 12th place in the points. Clark did not finish below this point in the standings until 2018. Things finally went Clark's way in the 2011 season. He started it off in a manner never seen before; with eight straight top tens to start the season including three wins in this time frame, he took the points lead after the Coca-Cola 600 and never looked back as he won his first ISCRA Cup championship in his 11th try. Clark continued his restrictor plate reign of terror during this time, winning the first two Armory Digital 500s and has won at least one restrictor plate race a year from 2010 to 2018. From 2013 to 2016, Clark cooled off slightly compared to his earlier form, only managing to get up to seventh in points twice. 2017 was proof that the veteran still had some left in the tank. Winning seven races, including a sweep at Talladega, Clark won his second championship in a nailbiter over Robin McKee. Unfortunately, 2018 was a far drop from the high of last year. For the first time, Clark would not have full-season sponsorship from Home Depot, instead only having them on the car for 6 races. Online retailer Amazon stepped up to fill the void, being the primary sponsor for 18 races. Clark could only muster 15th in points, though he still won three races, most notably a photo finish at Talladega over Krista Noel. For 2019, Amazon departs for Devin Sawyer. Nationwide Insurance will sponsor Clark for 24 races. Car No. 21 History Texas Motorsports' initial foray into the ISCRA began in 1996 with the No. 21 Pontiac Grand Prix. Ken Holmes picked No. 21 as a nod to the twenty-one dealerships he owned throughout Texas; he acquired sponsorship from Oracle, a partnership that continues to this day. Holmes then tabbed free agent Steve Cohen as the team's first driver. In the team's debut in the 1996 Daytona 500, Cohen finished 22nd, two laps down. 1996 as a whole was a year of learning for the team, who finished 17th in points with six top tens and a bright future. In 1997, Cohen and the team got their first taste of victory at Michigan. A bold splash-and-go call by crew chief Matt Fowler put the No. 21 out front with a handful of laps to go, with the car sputtering across the line as the team exploded in celebration. The team finished 1997 ninth in points with a win and twelve top tens to the team's name. Category:Teams